SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The protective face mask Josee Steadman had to wear for a couple of weeks is off, and it was evident Tuesday that the redshirt sophomore forward's sightline to the basket was crystal clear.
Steadman made eight of 10 shots from beyond the 3-point line and scored a career-high 28 points in Colorado Mesa's 77-55 victory over Westminster University. She finished one shy of tying Jaylyn Duran's program record of nine 3-pointers made in a single game, set in 2019.
The win moved the Mavericks (23-5, 17-4 RMAC) one step closer to at least a share of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title with one game remaining, at home Saturday night against Western Colorado.
Colorado Mesa has a one-half game lead over Regis, Adams State and CU-Colorado Springs atop the conference standings. Those three are all 16-4 with two games left this weekend, and the final seeds will likely come down to the conference tiebreaker formula.
RMAC STANDINGS
Steadman scored 13 points in the first quarter, had tied her career high of 19 by halftime and buried a deep 3-pointer off a turnover with 2:51 remaining in the third quarter to surpass her high-point mark she set in December against Regis.
Despite the 22-point margin of victory, the first 20 minutes were a struggle for the Mavericks, who were playing their third road game in five days in three different states. They allowed the Griffins (3-26, 1-20 RMAC) to shoot 53.6 percent from the field in the first half, well above their average of 38 percent, and led by only six points, 43-37.
A 7-2 spurt in the final 1:14 of the second quarter gave the Mavericks that halftime lead, and they came out with a different defensive mindset in the third quarter.
Laura Gutierrez hit a jumper off an inbounds pass with the shot clock running out, and that triggered the decisive run. CMU's defense shut out the Griffins for 6 ½ minutes and turned a 45-39 lead to a 60-39 advantage before the Griffins finally scored with 1:28 left in the quarter.
In the third quarter, CMU outscored Westminster 20-5, and Olivia Reed scored seven of her 14 points, with Gutierrez scoring seven of her 11. The Griffins shot only 13.3 percent (2 of 15) in the third quarter, with CMU shooting 53.3 percent (8 of 15).
Steadman added back-to-back 3s midway through the fourth quarter to give CMU a 27-point lead, its largest of the night, 73-48. She ended up making 10 of 14 field goals and added a half-dozen rebounds. Reed recorded her 10th double-double of the season, with 13 rebounds, five on the offensive end, to go with her 14 points, and blocked three shots. Kylie Kravig finished with six points and seven assists, and led by Steadman, Mesa's bench outscored Westminster's reserves 37-17.
The Friday slate of games could have a major impact toward determining the four teams that will host quarterfinal games next week in the RMAC Tournament before the Mavericks tip off at 5:30 Saturday evening. Adams State plays at Colorado School of Mines, which is one game behind the four-team logjam at the top, with CU-Colorado Springs hosting CSU Pueblo, with the ThunderWolves looking to improve their seed, currently 8th, in the final two games.
On Saturday, Adams State is at MSU Denver, CSU Pueblo is at Regis, with UCCS hosting New Mexico Highlands and Fort Lewis playing at Mines.
